Syracuse basketball has landed in the top seven for one of the country’s best young guards, as 2027 four-star point guard Devin Cleveland continues to narrow his list.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Chicago native is down to Alabama, Arkansas, Marquette, national champion Michigan, Missouri, Syracuse and TCU, according to reports from national analyst Sam Kayser and others. Syracuse extended a scholarship offer to Cleveland earlier in July, and the Orange are now firmly in the hunt.
Cleveland has already taken unofficial visits to Marquette and Michigan, and he has an official visit to Missouri set for early October. He has told analysts that he plans to take official visits to all of his finalists, including Syracuse, before choosing a school. A commitment announcement is expected in late December or early January.
Ryan Daly, Syracuse’s assistant coach, is Cleveland’s lead recruiter. Cleveland says he’s building a strong connection with the new Orange staff under first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, and he’ll be paying close attention to how Syracuse performs in the 2026-27 season.
Cleveland will be a senior at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., in 2026-27. La Lumiere competes in the 15-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic, and Syracuse has been active with several four-star and five-star prospects in the 2027 and 2028 classes who play in that league.
Last season, Cleveland averaged 15.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game for La Lumiere, which finished 22-5 in EYBL Scholastic play. As a sophomore at Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago, he was named a MaxPreps second-team All-American in the 2027 class.
He also made noise this spring and summer with the 17U team of Bradley Beal Elite on Nike’s EYBL circuit. Over the full EYBL season, which ended earlier this month, Cleveland put up 16.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 29.6 percent from 3-point range and 81.0 percent at the line.
Syracuse is also in the mix for another 2027 target. A few days ago, four-star wing/small forward Carson Crawford listed a top five of Syracuse, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Florida State and Providence. The 6-foot-7, 180-pound Florida native is expected to take an official visit to Syracuse sometime this fall, Inside the Loud House has reported.
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